Xerox Corporation

John T Newell

Seemit Praharaj

Stuart Alan Schweid

Roger Lee Triplett

Paul J McConville

Anthony Salvatore Condello

Michael Jon Levy

David Jon Metcalfe

Xiao-fan Feng

Chu-Heng Liu

Douglas K Herrmann

Jason Mathew LeFevre

Linn C Hoover

Paul Michael Fromm

Erwin Ruiz

Steven Matthew Russel

Grace T Brewington

Robert Alan Clark

David A VanKouwenberg

Ali Rafic Dergham

Christopher G Lynn

Jason Matthew LeFevre

Frank J Bonsignore

Christine Ann Steurrys

Richard Alan Campbell

Glenn David Batchelor

David Alan Vankouwenberg

Robert W Phelps

Phillip Crispino

Senthil Sivaraman

A method of inkjet printer operation produces a sneeze pattern having a uniform sneeze pattern portion and a tapered area portion within the uniform sneeze pattern to operate inkjets in the printer to eject ink drops within an image area of media sheets passing through the printer to maintain the operational status of the inkjets. A dynamic threshold is applied to a portion of an uniform sneeze pattern to produce the tapered area within the uniform sneeze pattern. The dynamic threshold is changed as a function of distance between a pixel in the portion of the uniform sneeze pattern and the closest edge of an image area of the media sheet on which the tapered area of the sneeze pattern is to be printed. A second threshold can also be changed to alter a volume of ink associated with a pixel in the tapered area within the uniform sneeze pattern.

System and method for operating an inkjet printer to attenuate ink drying in the inkjets during printing operations

A method for measuring a blur of a print job and adjusting printer parameters in response to the blur is disclosed. For example, the method may be performed by a multi-function device (MFD) and includes printing an image on a print media, scanning the image, calculating a blur count for each location of the image in a cross-process direction, determining that the blur count for at least one location of the image is above a blur threshold, and adjusting at least one print parameter for a subsequently printed image on the MFD.

Method and apparatus to measure blur and adjust printer parameters in response to blur

A cap is positioned to contact a printhead when the printhead is not ejecting liquid ink. The cap and the printhead create a sealed space adjacent printhead nozzles when contacting each other. A flexible blade is positioned to contact the printhead when the printhead is not in contact with the cap. The flexible blade is adapted to fold over to spread a liquid solution on the nozzles in a first direction, and the flexible blade is adapted to remove excess amounts of the liquid solution from the nozzles in a second direction. A humidifier is connected to the cap and adapted to supply a moisture form of the liquid solution to the sealed space. A moisture sensor is connected to the cap. The humidifier is adapted to vary supply of the moisture to the sealed space based on the amount of moisture detected by the moisture sensor.

Cap and application devices stabilizing ink in nozzles of inkjet printheads

Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems are disclosed herein for upscaling an input image to a higher resolution while simultaneously converting the image data from a multi-drop state to a binary state. These systems and methods use a probabilistic combination of randomized and biased positioning of inkjet firings in order to yield perceptibly lower graininess in low-coverage areas of output prints without introducing new artefacts.

Probabilistic pixel biasing in low area coverage

A printer includes a plurality of printheads, a plurality of printhead drivers, and an optical sensor configured to generate image data of a substrate after the substrate has been printed by the plurality of printheads. A controller operates the printheads using the printhead drivers to print a pattern of ink drops on the substrate, determine from image data of the ink drop pattern received from the optical sensor whether a density response for the pattern of ink drops for each printhead is within a predetermined range about a reference density response for the pattern of ink drops, identify a peak voltage for each printhead determined to have the density response outside the predetermined range, and store the identified peak voltage in the printhead driver for the printhead. The printhead driver uses the identified peak voltage to generate firing signals for the printhead operatively connected to the printhead driver.

System and method for closed loop regulation of ink drop volumes in a printhead

A method of printing a half tone image on an image forming apparatus using toner that is fused to a substrate is provided. The method includes generating a dot design that represents the half tone image, the dot design being made up of a plurality of dots; analyzing the dot design using an algorithm; matching the dot design to an equivalent alternate design that represents the half tone image, the matching being based on results of the analyzing, the equivalent alternate design being made up substantially entirely of a plurality of non-dot shapes; forming the half tone image on the substrate using the equivalent alternate design; and fusing the half tone image on the substrate with a fuser device.

System and method for reducing toner contamination on roll pair of an image forming apparatus

An apparatus and method control fix levels in a printing apparatus. The apparatus can include a media transport configured to transport a media sheet having marking material on at least a first side of the media sheet. The apparatus can include a media sheet rub module configured to rub a rub material against the first side of the media sheet. The apparatus can include a sensor configured to sense marking material on the rub material, the marking material rubbed from the first side of the media sheet onto the rub material. The apparatus can include a controller configured to determine a fix level of marking material on the media sheet based on the sensed marking material on the rub material, the fix level indicating how well the marking material is affixed to the media sheet.

Apparatus and method for marking material fix level control in a printing apparatus

Automatic detection of the width and position of a document which is substantially insensitive to dust and dirt as well as electrical noise is provided with an image capture device. When a document is staged for image capture, the image capture device collects several scanlines of the backing without the document and several scanlines of the lead edge of the document with the backing. The backing image collected is then subtracted from the lead edge image collected, and the resulting image is readjusted. Accordingly, variations in the backing areas of the lead edge image are removed and edge detection failure or error are reduced or eliminated.

Auto-width detection using backing image

A method and system implements a high addressability characteristic into an error diffusion process. A histogram of the image is generated and the actual background and black reference values are determined. A gray level value representing a pixel is received. The gray level value has a first resolution which corresponds to an original input resolution. The gray level value is interpolated to generate subpixel gray level values which correspond to a second resolution. The second resolution is higher than the first resolution and corresponds to the high addressability characteristic. A threshold circuit thresholds the interpolated gray level value and generates an error value as a result of the threshold using the determined background and black reference values. The error value has a resolution corresponding to the first resolution. A portion of the error value is diffused to adjacent pixels on a next scanline.

Method and system for hybrid error diffusion processing of image information using adaptive white and black reference values

A printing system for rendering marks on a recording medium receives a multi-level grey scale pixel value representing a pixel having a first resolution. A screening circuit generates a screened multi-level grey scale pixel value equal to (G.sub.L -V.sub.i)+(S.sub.i -Th)*Dmp.sub.vi *Mod.sub.Eff wherein G.sub.L is the maximum grey level value of the pixel, V.sub.i is equal to the multi-level grey scale pixel value of the first resolution, S.sub.i is equal to a screen value corresponding to a position of the pixel, the image classification of the pixel and a brightness/darkness setting, The threshold value, Dmp.sub.vi is a video dependent dampening factor, and Mod.sub.Eff is a modulation multiplication factor. An interpolator converts the screened multi-level grey scale pixel value to a second resolution, the second resolution being higher than the first resolution, and a binarization circuit binarizes the converted multi-level grey scale pixel value so as to output a binary signal and an error value, the error value having a resolution equal to the first resolution. The error value is diffused to multi-level grey scale pixel values corresponding to pixels adjacent to the pixel having the first resolution, and the binary signal is converted into a mark on the recording medium.

Method and system for hybrid error diffusion processing of image

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

John T Newell